My easy homemade baked ziti recipe with ground beef: tender pasta, rich tomato sauce, and melty cheese baked to golden perfection.
Baked ziti is one of those dishes that feels like a warm hug the moment it hits the table.
It is the kind of comfort food that doesn’t need a special occasion — it creates one. A bubbling casserole dish, stretchy cheese, a rich tomato‑beef sauce, and ziti pasta that is just the right amount of tender… it is everything cozy cooking should be.
Please excuse the un‑styled photo — I took it mid‑dinner while everyone was already elbow‑deep in grilled bread and baked ziti. It was truly the best batch I have ever made, and there was zero chance anyone was waiting for me to set up a proper shot.
Family dinners, right!
Quick Weeknight Cooking
What I love most about baked ziti is how unfussy it is.
You don’t need hours, you don’t need fancy ingredients, and you definitely don’t need to overthink it. This is weeknight cooking at its best: boil pasta, brown beef, stir in sauce, add cheese, bake.
Done.
And yet it tastes like something you wouldd proudly serve to guests.
This version leans into the heartier American style — ground beef simmered into the tomato sauce so every bite is meaty, saucy, and satisfying. It is the kind of dish that feeds a crowd, reheats beautifully, and makes your kitchen smell like you’ve been cooking all afternoon (even though you haven’t).
Also try out a similar Greek dish: my pastitio!
Craving a no‑stress dinner, prepping a make‑ahead meal, or just want something that tastes like pure comfort?
This baked ziti delivers every single time.
Let’s get it in the oven.
Homemade Baked Ziti Recipe
My easy homemade baked ziti recipe with ground beef: tender pasta, rich tomato sauce, and melty cheese baked to golden perfection.
- 1 lb ziti or penne (450 g)
- 1 lb ground beef (450 g)
- 1 small onion finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 3 cups tomato passata (or marinara sauce) (720 ml)
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 5.5 oz shredded mozzarella (155 g)
- 2 oz grated parmesan (55 g)
- salt
- pepper
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1) Cook the pasta in salted boiling water until just shy of al dente, then drain it and set it aside.
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2) Heat the olive oil in a large pan and brown the ground beef, breaking it up as it cooks.
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3) Add the chopped onion, tomato paste and minced garlic and let them soften for a couple of minutes.
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4) Pour in the tomato passata or marinara sauce. Season with the oregano and basil, and salt, and pepper to taste. Let the sauce simmer for about 10 minutes until slightly thickened.
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5) Stir the cooked pasta into the sauce until everything is evenly coated.
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6) Transfer everything to a baking dish and sprinkle the mozzarella and parmesan over the top.
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7) Bake at 392°F (200°C) for 25 minutes, or until the cheese is melted, golden, and bubbling. Let the baked ziti rest for five minutes before serving so it sets slightly and scoops cleanly.
What Pasta Shapes to Use If You Can’t Find Ziti
If you can’t get your hands on ziti, don’t worry for a second — baked ziti is wonderfully forgiving, and plenty of pasta shapes work just as well. The goal is simply to choose a short, sturdy shape with ridges or curves that can hold onto the sauce.
Penne is the easiest swap and behaves almost exactly like ziti.
Rigatoni is another fantastic option — even better, honestly — because the big tubes catch pockets of sauce and cheese.
Fusilli or rotini also work beautifully if you want something twisty that grabs every bit of the tomato‑beef goodness.
If you are really in a pinch, any short pasta like macaroni, shells, or even cavatappi will still give you a cozy, satisfying bake.
In short: use what you have, keep it fun, and let the sauce do the heavy lifting.